Bremerton man charged with felony DUI

PORT ORCHARD — A 43-year-old Bremerton man is charged with felony driving under the influence after numerous drunken driving violations, including one that resulted in a vehicular assault conviction nine years ago.

Charging documents filed in Kitsap County District Court accuse John William Carr II of speeding Wednesday through NW Seabeck Holly Road, reaching speeds up to 80 mph in a 50-mph zone. After he was stopped by police, he told officers he had two beers before being stopped. Carr had a 0.11 blood-alcohol level. The legal limit is 0.08.

Wednesday’s incident happened on the nine-year anniversary of when Carr was involved in a wreck that resulted in a vehicular assault conviction.

In that case, a passenger who Carr was driving had to be flown to Harborview Medical Center after suffering major internal head injuries after the car the two were in flipped several times at high speed on Sylvan Way in Bremerton. Carr admitted to officers then that he was intoxicated while driving.

Prosectors decided to charge Carr with felony DUI, which could mean up to five years in jail, based on his vehicular assault conviction.

Law was enacted in 2007 to raise the punishment time for those with multiple DUI convictions. Before the law, DUI was considered a misdemeanor-level offense.